Karim Abou Najm's father walks in slain son's place at UC Davis graduation
SACRAMENTO – The UC Davis student who was stabbed to death by an alleged serial killer was honored at Sunday's commencement ceremony at the Golden 1 Center.
Karim Abou Najm was the second of three victims attacked in Davis stabbing spree. He was just weeks away from graduating when he was slain.
A celebration of life was held by the UC Davis community for Karim in early May, but Sunday marked the day that Karim would have walked across the stage for graduation.
Instead, Karim's father Majdi Abou Najm walked in his place and received his son's posthumous degree.
The solemn honor, which also happened to land on Father's Day, took place at the start of the reading of names during Sunday afternoon's ceremony.
"On the basis of his academic accomplishments, the Davis division of the Academic Senate has posthumously awarded Karim Abou Najm the degree of Bachelor of Science in Computer Science," the announcer said.
A seat was also left empty in remembrance of Karim.
This is Karim’s empty seat from the graduation ceremony pic.twitter.com/MW2BFznGTp
— Nadine Yehya, PhD (@yehya_nadine) June 18, 2023
Karim's family has said that his legacy is cemented in an undergraduate research award scholarship that has raised more than $50,000.
David Breaux, a beloved Davis resident known as the "Compassion Guy," was the other victim killed in the Davis' recent series of stabbings. Kimberlee Guillory is the lone survivor.
Suspect Carlos Dominguez has been charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in the stabbings. His court proceedings have been delayed, however, as he undergoes a psychiatric assessment.